I love to buy children's books for gifts for the children in my life, and recently I found a new one that is just lovely. Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barack Obama is a beautifully illustrated book with a great message.
The book begins, "Have I told you lately how wonderful you are? How the sound of your feet running from afar brings dancing rhythms to my day? How you laugh and sunshine spills into the room?" It then goes on to ask, "Have I told you that you are creative/smart/brave/strong, etc.?" and then tells about Georgia O'Keeffe, and on through many notable people through history. The message of the book as a whole is the potential that all people have, to do great things, no matter where they come from. The illustrations by Loren Long are amazing! 
Now, I love this book because it is truly a lovely book - - nothing to do with whether or not I like President Obama (I do, by the way). I'm curious to know - - do you teach your children to respect the President, regardless of your political views, or whether or not you think any particular president is doing a good job or not? I ask this because I have gotten some bizarre reactions from grown adults, mind you, when I've brought up this book in conversation and recommended it as a potential Christmas gift. Sad, my friends, but true. Anyway, enough about that...if you have a little person in your life that loves books, then this book is a gem. FYI, the best price I've found so far is at Costco.
